Clare middle school parents hit back at Haverhill Heads

The following letter from four Clare Middle School parents has been printed this week in the Suffolk Free Press.


We would like to respond to the Haverhill headteachers' comments regarding the proposed changes from a three-tier to a two-tier school system and address the case for option three (a Clare rural community college).

Samuel Ward is currently over subscribed but Castle Manor is under subscribed. This leads us to believe that children from Clare will be sent to Castle Manor, taking away the parents option of choosing a school. Published tables show that, as of January, only 15% of pupils at Castle Manor were obtaining GCSE results at grade C or above. Former Clare Middle School pupils at Samuel Ward do exceptionally well when they take GCSEs, with 87% achieving A* to C grades.Why would having three smaller schools as against two large ones have a detrimental effect on our children when the Government is actively pursuing development of smaller schools to improve educational standards? With regards to Clare struggling to provide a full range of services for the 14-19 year olds, we must point out that under options one, two and three neither Samuel Ward, Castle Manor or Clare would be teaching 16-19-year olds, as they would be attending a sixth-form college on a separate site. Options one and two will have a detrimental effect on our children's education and well being long before the changes are complete as the current middle schools will be likely to have teachers looking for other posts now rather than later. Children falling into the Sudbury catchment area will still be attending Clare middle but the school will be running at half the capacity.

Clare Middle School has consistently shown itself to be a good school and the infrastructure is in place to continue this trend into a secondary school. The Clare school site currently provides many opportunities for after-school community activities for both children and adults, including junior (nine-13) and senior (13-18) youth clubs for about 100 children from Clare and surrounding rural areas, yoga classes, circuit training, club meetings and dance classes. As well as offering a summer holiday club for children.

We have been "informed" of the cost implications of changing Clare middle into a secondary school but costings have not been disclosed with regards to the reorganisation of Samuel Ward and Castle Manor Schools. These figures have been requested at a public meeting and are yet to be provided.

During a public meeting at Clare Middle School, Frank Stockley, a member of the review panel, stated that the "ball park figure for redeveloping Clare into a secondary school is £7-9million", this is nowhere near the figure of £18m quoted in letters sent to parents from the Haverhill schools.

Clare is a community in its own right and not part of Haverhill, and closing the school at Clare will take the heart out of our community, resulting in job losses and taking away our freedom of choice of where we want our children to be educated. It will also have an environmental impact by increasing the number of buses taking children to and from school. Making Clare into a secondary school would enable our community to thrive without affecting the community of Haverhill.

Concerned parents
R & S Brown
A & C Boddington
D & S Allen
B & S Eden-Shulver
Highfield and Westfield, Clare, and Cavendish

Filling out your Suffolk Organisation Review Questionnaire

CONFUSED?
NOT SURE HOW TO FILL IN THE SOR QUESTIONNAIRE - DON'T WORRY, YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE - HELP IS AT HAND!

Click the following link to download the C.L.A.R.E fact sheet which will guide you through the questions. We are aware that many of the questions are irrelevant unless you live in Haverhill but the fact sheet will explain which ones to answer and which ones to skip.

It is vital that you complete your questionnaire and send it back. If you have any problems downloading the fact sheet or need more help then please contact us and we will be more than happy to help you fill it in.

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/ruralclare/files

Clare Middle School responds to SOR options

Headteacher Nigel Evans and the governing body of Clare Middle School have sent a letter home to the parents of children attending the school explaining the three options proposed by the Suffolk County Council and why option 3, a secondary school in Clare is viable.

It reads that The Governing Body believes that Option 3 would best meet the needs of children and young people in our largely rural community for the following reasons:

• Our rural community has a different character to the urban centres of Haverhill and Sudbury.


• The Clare Middle School site would be retained for educational purposes and not be simply ‘disposed of’.


• Clare Middle School has been recognised in its recent OFSTED inspection as being good with outstanding features. A Clare High School or Community College would be in the best position to further develop and extend this high standard.


• The site was built as a secondary school in 1955, changing to a 9-13 middle school in the early 1970s, so a change back should not be overwhelmingly difficult.
  The middle school has technology college status, so again is in an advantageous position to meet the needs of the 11-16 age range.


• There is room for expansion of the buildings, while retaining existing playing fields, on what is a magnificent site.


• Former Clare Middle School pupils at Samuel Ward do exceptionally well when they take GCSEs, with 87% achieving A* to C grades in 2006, far exceeding national, county, Castle Manor, Sudbury Upper and Samuel Ward’s own averages. A Clare High School would be in a position to be a real asset to the community and its young people with such results.


• The local rural community would be more economically sustainable with a Clare High School providing jobs and reasons to be in Clare. It would therefore be good for the local economy and for business. A Clare High School would be a centre for regeneration and the future well-being of our rural area.


• Clare Middle School is used by a wide range of organisations out of school hours. A high school in Clare would be in a position to continue opening these facilities to the rural population for community use. The other options could not allow this.


• Members of the community have chosen to move here because of the quality of educational provision in the rural area. A lack of a high school in Clare could lead to this trend being reversed.


• Other rural high schools in Suffolk and in counties such as Cambridgeshire have excellent results. Some of these are relatively small schools which attain high standards in personal, community environment. Current research and thinking supports this approach.


• Substantial sums of money have been invested in Clare Middle School in recent years, particularly since gaining technology college status. This can be witnessed in quality of the refurbished science laboratories, the food technology room, the music room and its practice rooms, the new performance lighting in the hall, and the two ICT suites, amongst others. Options 1 and 2 would lead to a huge waste of this investment.


• The good working partnerships between Clare Middle School and the six feeder primary schools would not be lost, but have the opportunity to strengthen and thrive.


• A high school in Clare, that is, the three secondary schools option, gives more parental choice and diversity of provision, than either of the other options.


• A high school in Clare could be an attractive option for parents who might otherwise seek provision outside of Suffolk or, indeed, the state education system.
  

The letter goes on to say that the board 'believes the consultation document has not entirely represented the relative strengths and weaknesses of the three options'.

In fact it barely mentions any of the above advantages but focuses rather on the cost of implementing option 3 which incidentally is not as high as some might like you to think! The figure of £18m recently banded about was described by Frank Stockley, senior education officer, as 'a little wide of the mark as the cost would be closer to £7m'. Only £11m out! Suffolk County Council are unable to say how much option 1 and 2 would cost - how convenient!

You can download the Clare middle school letter in full by clicking on the following link: http://groups.google.co.uk/group/ruralclare/files

News coverage on mass!

Read what this weeks papers have to say following the C.L.A.R.E public meeting.

Haverhill Echo - School axe - will 'rip out heart of community'
http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/School-axe-would-39rip-heart.3510382.jp

Suffolk Free Press - Clare school is 'vital' to future health of town
http://www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk/news/Clare--school-is-39vital39.3507549.jp

Suffolk Free Press - Middle school campaigners slam headteachers
http://www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk/news/Middle-school-campaigners-slam-headteachers.3510936.jp

East Anglian Daily Times - School conversion 'would cost 7m'
http://www.eadt.co.uk/search/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&itemid=IPED20%20Nov%202007%2020:32:34:417&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=search